Helping the Hungry

This morning on my subway train, a man came barrelling through the crowded car with an elementary-school age kid in front of him and an infant in his arms; a woman pushing an empty stroller brought up the rear. At first I wondered why this entire family had to push through everyone to get to the dead center of the car. But then the man started talking loudly, addressing us all, and I understood: they were homeless, and hungry.

That doesn't happen very often. Usually I might see a single person, most often a middle-aged man. But seeing that family today reminded me that there are thousands of hungry men, women, and children in this country. And, frankly, that the best way to help them is to do more than hand over an apple or granola bar on a crowded rush hour train.

World Hunger Year (WHY)knows this. In fact, they are launching a Call to Action to end the nation's food crisis this week, right here in NYC. The kickoff event, called Step Up to the Plate, is Thursday, October 16 (officially World Food Day) and will feature notables like Frances Moore Lappe, who wrote Diet for a Small Planet, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, and many others. They will all discuss the causes and solutions to this national food crisis.

If you can't get to Cooper Union, where the event is being held, don't worry. Check out WHY's web site, and learn about events in your area, get information on the food crisis here in our country and around the world, and find out ways you can help. If you're reading Serving Dish, it means you love food and cooking and eating. Which means you must be able to imagine what it would be like to be really and truly hungry. Let's all help.

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